Motor-controlling device.



W. L. HAMILTON.

MOTOR GONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.27,1911.

1,032,826, Patented July 16, 191.2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FHL E VTNESSES: VVENTOR. L? (/w A TTORNEYS.

W. L. HAMILTON.

MOTOR CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.27,1911. 1,032,826, Patented July 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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lA TTOANEYS.

WALTERL LooMIs HAMILTON,- or HoL'soKE, MAssAcHusETTs, 'assrciivoa BY Mnsim ASSIGNMENTS, or THREE-rimas To ISABELLE n. LHAMILTON, or nonroxn, Mas- SACHUSETTS, AND TWO-FIFTHS T0 ERNEST A. `HAMIL'LN, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MAS- SACHUSETTS.

MOTORe-.C'ONTRLLING DEVICE.

- Patented July 16,1912. 644.136. Divided and this application filed October 27, 1911. Serial No. 657,073.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known' that I, WALTER LooMIs HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Motor-Controlling Device, the same being, a divisional l part of my application filed in the United` States Patent Otlic'e Agust 15, 1911, Serial No. 644,136, of which the following is Yaspeciication.` My invention relates to improvements in controlling means or mechanism4 for 'electrically-operated motors and the like, and consists of a certain peculiar switch annulus vand brush, together with opening means and engaging and releasing means for such an' nulus, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to produce ya -reliable and highly eii'icientdevice for a motor or other electricallyldriven or -oper\ ated machine or apparatus, which de ce is easily operated and controlled and is especially well adapted for use with checkco-ntrolled or coin.- operated apparatus for vending or dispensing machines, since it is capable of being made subject to such check-` controlled apparatus and of combining therewith in a way to produce the best of results.

in further object is to produce such a device which is comparatively inexpensive and simple in construction and operation, yet practicable and serviceable' in the highest degree. f

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

As intimated above, this invention is particularly well adapted for use in connection with vending machines which are equipped with or comprise motors and mechanism yoperated thereby, since it affords a readily' controllable means by coinoperated'appav ratus or \the like for making and breaking the circuitto the motor, and said invention 1 is herein illustrated in its application to such a machine, although it is not to be understood that the invention is restricted to such application or thereby limited in its scope.

rllhe .machine justrefe'rred to is of the papertowel-vending type.

' A practical form of embodiment of the invention (as i applied for towel-vending purposes), whereby Ivattain the objects and secure the advantages of the same, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I will proceed to describe said invent-ion with reference to said drawings, be understood that the form, construction, arrangement, etc., of the parts in various aspects are not material and ma be modified without departure from the splritof t-he invention.

although it is to In the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a frontelevation ofthe lower half of a paper-towel-Vending Inachine, in which my motor-controlling device is included, the door of the case being omitted and the switch casing being in section so as to expose to View the interior of said case and casing with their contents; Fig. 2, a top plan of the parts and members shown in the preceding view, the door being here present and withthe aforesaid case and casfp ing being in section; Fig. 3, a section taken on lines 3 3, looking in the direction of the associated arrow, in Fig. 1, the elements of the motor-controlling device being in elevation; Fig. 4, a view similar to the preceding except that the motor-controlling device 1s here shown in condition or 'readiness to start the motor after being released; Fig. 5, a detail of the latch for the movable section of the switch and of part ofthe operating arm for such latch, the arm being in partial sectijon; Fig. 6, a transverse vertical' section taken on lines 6 6, lookingvin the direction of the associatedv arrow,in Fig. .4; Fig.. 7, an elevation of the motor-controlllng devlce,

in which the eccentric is re resented in po- `sitio'nto elevate said movab e section of the switch; Fig-8, still another elevation of the same parts and members wherein said `movable sect-ion is inI its elevated -position and the brush is about to slip into the gap formed when said-section was elevated, and, Fig. 9, a-topjplan showing abutting portions of the switch frame and segment, and the manner in which they come to ether and interlock.

' Other arrows, g besi es those mentioned above,l indica-te A the directionsA of moving parts.

Only brief mention will be made of the parts ofthe vending machine herein shown land which do not constitute essential elements of thel subject matter of this applicaf t-ion. For. fuller details in regard to the below the floor 2 by al pair of lugs 13 on a l aforesaid parts, reference may be had to the application of which this application is a division, and to another divisional application led on even date herewith. j f

The housing of the machine and for the motor-controlling device comprises a case 1 provided with a ioor 2, a door 4, and a casing `5 within said case 1 on said floor. The casing 5 is adjacent to the left-hand end of the case 1, and atrthe right-hand end of said case appears the lower portion of a coin chute 7 which vis provided with a coin-guiding member or tail-piece 8 and with a U- shaped coin-lever guide 9. The chute 7 opens above a pair of coin-guiding ears 10 which assist in directing the coin through a slotin the floor 2 into a money box l11, such slot being represented by dotted lines at 12 in Fig. 1. The box 11 is supported pair of ledges 14 extending inwardly from the ends of the case 1.

x rollers 17 and 18, the cutting roller 17 being provided with a blade or cutter 19 and the cutting-roller 18having a slot 20 therein to accommodate said cutter when said cutting-rollers revolve. After being cut oil' the severed part of the strip or the towel passes out of the machine at the bottom, suitable means of egress being provided to enable the strip to descend through the floor, behind the money box, and through the bottom of the housing.

An electric motor, represented at 21, is supported on the floor 2 adjacent'` to the right-hand end of the case 1, and this motor is controlled by the new device, and when energized vdrives the feed-rollers 16 and the Icutting-rollers 17 and 18, through the medium of certain gears and pinions presentIl to be referred to more specifically.

e front feed-roller 1,6-is mounted fast Ona shaft 22 that is journaled at opposite ends in suitable bearings which project inwardly from the ends.. of .the case 1. The

:rear feed-roller 16 is mounted `fast on a Ashaft 23 that is journaled at the left-hand end in a bearing which projects inwardly from the corresponding end of the case 1,

. and at the right-hand end in a bracket 24 which projects inwardly'from thev back side of said case. The cutting-rollers 17 and 18 are respectively mounted fast on shafts 25 and 26 that are journaled inthe same way asV the shaft 23. The motor 21 has a shaft 27 with a pinion 28 thereon. The pinion 28 A lmeshes with a gear 29 which is rigidly connected with apinion 30. The gear 29 and the pinion are l'oosely mounted von a stud 31 which projects inwardly from the adjacent end of the caseA 1. The pinion 30 meshes with a large gear 32 fast o n the shaft 22. Also fasten the shaft 22 is a gear 33 that meshes with a gear 34 on the shaft 23.

Risingv from the floor 2, within-the casing- 5, is an inverted L-shaped bracket 35, and a shaft 36 is journaled in the upright part of said bracket and in the adjacent end of the case 1 after passing through the intervening side of said casing. Mounted fast on the shaftv 36, between the casing 5 and the adjacent end of the case 1, isa large gear 37 which is driven by a meshing pinion 38 fast on the adjacent terminal of the shaft 22, and a large segmental gear 39 which imparts but one `revolution to the cutting-rollers 17 and 18 while the feed-rollers 16 are making some half-dozen revolutions, more or The segmental gear 39 drives the cuttingroller 17 directlyv by means of a pinion 40 'fast on the shaft 25, with which said gear meshes, and the cutting-roller 18 receives its motion through the medium of a gear 41 fast on said shaft and a meshingv gear 42 on the shaft 2 6. A brush arm 43 and an eccentric 44, which are members of the motor-controlling de vice and which will be more fully described hereinafter, are mounted fast on the shaft 36 within the casing 5,- the eccentric being to the right of the brush arm. Y

The arm .of the bracket 35 extends to the left from the upright part of the bracket, and atrip-arm 45 is pivotally mounted, between the left-hand end of said bracket arm and a bearing 46 which. extends inwardly from the adjacent side of the casing 5, on

a pin 47 which passes through said bracket arm, said trip-arm and said bearing. vThe trip-arm 45 passes out through a slot 48 in the front side of the casing 5, and the front terminal of saidarm is bent downwardly and then forwardly to have attached thereto the lower end of .a coiled spring 49. The upper end of the spring 49' is adjustably fastened by nuts 50 to an inwardly-extending lug 51 on the adjacent end of the case 1. A coin lever 152 is pivotally mounted at 53, a short distance from its left-hand end, on the trip-arm 45 outside of the casing 5, and the aforesaid end of the lever is fulcrumed beneath and against a bearingedge on the underside at the inner end of a lug 54. The lever 52 and the triparm 45 are arranged at right-angles tofeach other, and the former extends across the case, from left to rightto present a coin receiver 55, with which its free terminal is provided,

beneath the chute 7, such free terminal .and

coin receiver operating within the guide 9 the case 1.

-at the left of the tail-piece 8. The lug 54 projects'inwardly from the left-hand end of l segment 57 with its contact pieces -60 and? insulators 61 and 62 is closed, not only does 1 the frame 56 with its segment form a c'olnplete ring or annulus, but the two insula-z tors 61, the two pairs. of contact pieces, and:

' The cont-act pieces 60 o-n each side of the in sulators 62 are connected by a wire or jumper 63 so as to insure a ontinuitv of 'circuit atl j imacat The elements thus far pointed out, with the two exceptions noted and certain-ele-v Aone operative means merely for the switch and may be changed to meet various condi-j tions or to render the motor controlling device applicable for other purposes besides: the purpse for which the same is hereinI used, are incidental only to the embodiment of the pr^sent invention as lherein set forth to illustrate how it may be practically applied, and such first-mentioned elements, like said coin-operated ap liance elements, will, di'ii'er materially in di erent machines, evenf their omission altogether'V not' affecting the? invention in scope or otherwise.

I will now, describe the motor-controlling device itself. Such device comprises af switch in the form of an annulus lhaving ai movable segment, holding and .releasingl means for said segment, 'elevating means? -for said segment, and a brush for said` switch, together with an electrical circuit` to` and through said switch to the motor 2l. The switch consists of a frame 56 which is` secured to the Hoor 2 withinthe casing 5, and a movable section or segment 57 which is pivoted at the lower front end to the front j end of said frame, at 58, and has atooth or hook 59 on top, together with two pairs,` of contactpieces 60 fitted within said frame L and segment, one pair ineach, and sepa-`2 rated from the frame and segment by seg-g mental insulators '61, one such insulator be-v ing interposed between the frame and the pair of cont-act pieces therein, and the other such insulator being interposed between the: segment and the pair of contact pieces pro-1 vided for the same, and a segmental insu-. lator 62 which separates the pair of ContactI pieces-inthe frame and another which separates the ,pair in the segment., When the the two insulators 62 do the same thing.

the joint adjacent to the pivot 58, whether the segment 57 be open or closed. A bow spring 64 is att-ached to the base of the `fra1ne56 below the pivot 58, and extends upwardly to bear against the front of` the segment 57 above said pivot and force said segment toward the back end of said frame or retain yit in locking engagement with a latch 65 which is mounted over the switch on vthe pivot 47 and provided with a tooth or hook 66 arranged and adapted to' engage Vand release lthe segment hook 59. The contiguous faces of the hooks 59 and 66 are soarranged, however, that very little power -is required torovercome the force of the spring 64 and unlock the parts when the latch 65 is tilted upward.

The holding and releasing means for the segment 57, in the present case, consists of the lever 52, the trip-arm 45, and the latch 65. In this connection it will be observed that the part of the trip-arm 45 which is mounted directly on the pivot 47 is slotted at 67 to accommodate the latch 65 which is mounted on said pivot with said trip-arm.

IThe hook 66 is on the bottom of the latch which is adjacent to the projection 68, isA

cut away to receive the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The latch 45 projects behind the hook 66, and being thus counterweighted normally rests with the stop projection 68 up against the trip-arm 45. The tripfarm projects rearwardly over the latch and is counterweighted at 69 for the reason presently given. There is enough clearance between the latch and the overhanging terminal of the trip-arm to enable said latch to function properly. When closed the segment 57 bears with its upper rear end on the corresponding end of the frame 56, closing the gap. between such ends, as previously intimated, and when openedsaid segment is swung upwardly, and its hook 59 encounters the hook 66 and rocks the latch 65 upwardly out of the way until said hook 59 passes said hook 66, when said Vlatch rocks down into normal position again with its hook now behind the hook 59. The segment 57 is in this manner held up by the latch until the trip-arm 45 is carried down, against the resiliency of the spring 49, with the lever 52, as when a coin is dropped into the receiver 55, said trip-arm then rocking on the pivot 47 and actuating said latch, through the medium of the stop projection 68, and

raising the hook 66 so that said hook bebalanced, to the end that the weight of a coin falling into the receiver 55 is sufficient to overcome the force of the spring and of frictional and other resistance,\upsetthe balance, and bring about the release of the segment 57. When the lever 52 is released by thelcoin or relieved from `the weight f is attached to the outer end of the `arm '43.

The brush 71visl designed to contact forcibly already assumed, to bring 'about the comf thereof, theFspring 49 asserts and elevates the trip-arm 45 Aand with said triparm Said lever; VThe force of the spring 49 becomes weaker as the trip-arm and ,the leverfapproah the ends of their upward travel, said spring having expended I nuchof its energy before such. ends are reached, but

i the combined weight of the latch and triparm behind the pivot 53, which has been of some assistance to the'spring from the start, now furnishes enough added power owing.

to the new positions which the parts have plete-restoration to-normal positions and 'conditions ofv the' partsbeing cQn'siderejd.

Thesegment 57 is actuated upward into i engaging relation with the latch" 65 bymeans of the eccentric 44 on the shaft 36, and a -lug 70. which projects to the right, from-the top of said segment, over said eccentric. In Fig? 3 the segment 57 is represented as be-v ing held 7up by the latch v65,`and suchsegment is thus held in the general views. In

" Fig. 4 the parts have been actuated to release t e segment which' is"in its low or closed position, and in Fg.- 7 the eccentric is in the actof raisingv said segment into locking engagement with the latch, the operation having been completed in the next view. As clearly shown, the eccentric raises the segmentwhen the high artof said ec. centricpasses under the lug 0, the members being'so proportionedand positioned that i V- theeccentric encounters4 said lug at -the time wardly on the pivot 47.

it is required that the segment be swung up- A'fl-he shaft 36 extends through the 4axial center of the switch'annulus, andthe ar'nr43v is mounted' on said shaft within saidl annu lus. Abifurcated brush 71, of spring metal,

with the contactpieces and to travel 'around practically the entire course of their inner faces, one br'anch of saidbrush traveling around the two contact pieces on one side of the insulators 62 tand the other'branch of said brushY traveling aroundthe two contact 62: Inasmuch as the brush isinsulated,`

pieces on the other Aside of saidginsulators.

The space between the branches of the brush 71 enables said brush to clear the insulators when the saine is in contact with the contact pieces 60, whichV are; themselves insulated,

I said brush is in engagement, and the jump- 304 the dead space isl bidged'and Vthe circuit formed from the contact pieces on the side. with which said -brush is in engagement to the contact pieces on the other side with which Aers 63 connect, electrically the two contact pieces on the two sides. v

Referringagain to Fig. "3, .,it'will ob.

'served that the'vbrush 71 is in thespace between the upraised end of the segment'57 and the adjacent end of the lfra-Ine 5,6, consequently out of contact' with ythe Contact pleces 60. VHere, then, as in the general views, the circuit is broken at the switch. Passing to the next view, it will be seen that theV seginent57 -is1 down on -thebrush 71, hence the 'circuit at the switch is closed,-andv one 'complete revolution or until said brush rides clear ofthe-frame contact pieces into the space left by the segment when swung .upwardly by the eccentric44. In Figs. 7

`it. remains closed while said brush, makes. j

and 8 the brush is shown at two'diiierent points in' its revolution.

The motorl 21 1s 1n an electric circuit made up of a wire 72 which connects said 'motor with a suitable source of electrical energy outside of the case 1v and enters said case,

with a wire 73, through the right-hand 'end Provision for an interlocking joint bef tween the free ends of the switch frame 56 'and-segment 67 may be made by forming a central tongue ,75 at the upper rear end of .said frame and by recessing the vadjacent 95 end ,ofsaid .segment to receive saidtongue when the segment comes down onto the frame. These tongued'an'd grooved parts 'include portions of the contact pieces 60, A

hence' any'failure on .the part of the segment, when it swings down, to 'form -a good electrical contact with the frame 'is guarded against. f. l

The operation'- of themotor-controlling device as a whole and the general operation of so' much'of .thevending machine as is' herein representedare as follows: A co1n'1s dropped Athrough the chute 7 into rthe re- I ceiver 55.l The lever 52 -is 1swung downward .by the coin in the receiver 55, into the posi- Y tion' indicatedby'rdot-andvda'sh `lines in Fig. 1, when said coin rolls'out' into the space between the' ears 10 and from there through. the lslot 12 into the box 11. When depressed the lever 52 actuates the trip-arm 45 and causes the latch 65 to'release the segment` 57. The' latter instantly snaps into l its closed position, under the influence of the spring 64, and brings the upper pair of c ontact pieces V60 down onto the brush 71.

This lcloses the circuit and the motr 21 Yis started. Meanwhile, .the lever 52 rises with the trip-arm 45, under the influence of the sprin in readiness Vfor the next' coin, and at the -same time the latch 65 is swung 'down to locate the'hook 66 againin the path of the 49 andthe counterweights or counterw'elghted parts, into the former position,

hook v59 when the segment 57 is subsequently elevated' by the eccentric 44. Upon the closing of the circuit and the starting of the motor, the feed-rollers are setin motion and continue to revolve until said motor stops, and while thus revolving said rollers feed down more and more-of the toweling strip l5. By the time enough of the paper strip for a towel is fed down, said strip is severed by the following means and in the following manner: As the gear 37 approaches the en of its revolution, the segmental gear 39 engages the pinion 4:0 and thus causes the eutting-rollers to be set in motion, and before said segmental gear leaves said pinion said rollers make a revolution and with the cutter sever the strip 15. While the strip-manipu lating rollers are measuring ofi', as it were, and severing the towel, the brush 71 is making the'circuit of the switch, and when said brush arrives at the upper end of the frame Y 56 and slips off of the same into the open space left by the segment 57 which is elevated. just before this time into engaging relation with the latch 65, by the eccentric l1-l, the electric circuit is opened and the motor stops with all of the members driven thereby. It is understood, of course, that the brush arm 43 and the eccentric 44 receive their rotary motion from the motor, through the medium of the shaft 36, and the intervening gears, pinions and shafts, and that they revolve once with the gear 37 at each cycle of the mechanism.

. What I claim as my invention, and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A switch annulus provided with means to open and close a gap therein, and a rotary brush in operative relation to said annulus.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a switch in the form of an annulus having a movable section, such annulus including such section being provided with insulated contact pieces which are insulated from each other.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a switch in the form of an annulus having a movable section, such annulus including such section being provided with insulated contact pieces which are insulated from each other, and jumpers connecting said contact pieces on the two sides.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a switch frame and movable section arranged in the form of an annulus, such frame and section being provided with insulated contact pieces which are insulated from each other, and yielding means to force the free end of said section toward the free end of said frame.

5. The combination, with a switch in the form of an annulus having a movable section, such annulus including such sectionr being provided with insulated contact pieces whichare insulated from each other, of a rotary brush arranged to bear on said contact pieces as it revolves.

6. The combination, with a switch in the form of an annulus having a movable section, such annulus including such section being provided with insulated contact ieces which are insulated from each other, of -a rotary brush arranged to bear as it revolves on said contact pieces, means to move said section out of the path of said brush, and means to permit said section to move into such path.

7. The combination, with a switch in the form of an annulus having a Amovable section, such annulus including such section being provided with insulated contact pieces `which are insulated from each other, of a rotary brush arranged to bear on said contact pieces as it revolves, a latch for said section, and an eccentric adapted to move said sectionout of the path of said brush into engagement with sald latch.

8. The combination, with a switch in the form of an annulus havin a movable secytion, such annulus including such section being provided with insulated contact ieces which are insulated from each other, o a rotary brush arranged to bear on said contact operative relation to said switch, and means to move said section to open a gap in such annulus for said brush, and means to bring about the contact of said section with said brush while the latter is disposed in said gap 10. 'The combination with a switch in the form of an annulus having a pivotally attached segment, of a brush mounted to revolve within such annulus, an eccentric arranged to swing said segment out of the path of said brush, and means to hold said segment after being actuated by said eccentric and subsequently to release it.

l1. The combination with a switch in the form of an annulus having a pivotally at- WALTER LOMIS HAMILTON.

Witnesses: I

E. A. HAMILTON, F. A. Cm'rnn. 

